Thinking of Better Times
by chawk1993
Summary: *ONE-SHOT**Set after Rebels Episode Shroud of Darkness* Rex and Ahsoka reflect on what they knew about Anakin and reflect on their failure to save him in the Dark Side.
**A/N:** _Hi all! it's been a while I know but I had to post this up. After watching the Star Wars Rebels season 2 finale has left me shaken as a fan even though I knew what was coming was eventually going to happen. Anyway, this short story takes place after the episode Shroud of Darkness in which Ahsoka sees Anakin's 'spirit'._

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 **Thinking of Better Times**

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Rex walked into the _Ghost's_ common area to find Ahsoka sitting alone with a cup of caf between her hands. He could tell she was in deep thought. It was the middle of the night and the rest of the crew were in bed. The former soldier had spent much of the day getting to know everyone. He had taken a liking to everyone but he had come to have a soft spot for the youngest members of the crew, Sabine and Ezra. They reminded him of a certain young woman sitting before him.

"Can't sleep?"

Ahsoka's head shot up at the sound of Rex's voice. She issued him a small smile and gestured to the place opposite her.

Rex sat down where she had indicated. "What are you thinking about?"

Ahsoka blinked. It had been years since they had seen each other but some things never changed. She thought back to all the late night conversations they had shared during the Clone Wars. "Anything and everything." She sighed.

"Have you heard anything about what happened to _him_?" Rex asked.

Ahsoka flinched as if he had slapped her.

"Sorry, I didn't mean…"

Ahsoka waved her hand. "It's fine, Rex. I need someone to talk to."

Rex could detect the devastation in his young friend's voice. It felt strange to think that. She was biologically older then him but he _looked_ older then her.

"You seem… troubled, Commander." Rex said trying to gentle with his words.

"Commander," Ahsoka snorted. "Now that is something I have not been called in a _long_ time."

"You'll always be my Commander, Ahsoka." Rex said with a smile.

"You'll be _Captain_ Rex to me, Rex." Ahsoka returned the gesture. It was strange to her to hear him use her name. He had always called her 'commander' or 'sir', not that it worried her. Rex had always been kind to her and they had become close friends over the time they had served together.

"What do you think of this _Ghost_ crew?"

Ahsoka leaned back. "They're… interesting. They're a team. In most ways, a family."

Rex could see the small flicker of heartbreak at Ahsoka's own mention of family. "You're still thinking of him, aren't you?"

"When am I not?" The pain returned to Ahsoka's eyes. "He was my master. My friend. My _brother._ " She sighed in a vain attempt to keep the tears at bay.

"He died fighting, Ahsoka. He died doing the one thing he did best." Rex said gently.

Ahsoka let out a strangled sob as the tears finally fell. "No," she sobbed. "He didn't go down fighting."

Rex looked at her, confused. "What? He was in the Jedi Temple when it was assaulted."

"No, he wasn't. Not exactly, anyway."

"What do you mean?" Ahsoka's cryptic message was beginning to scare the clone.

"He _lead_ the assault on the Temple."

Rex could feel the shock radiating through him. "No." he could only whisper. "He couldn't have."

Ahsoka returned Rex's mournful look. "I didn't want to believe it either but I was able to track down security footage from that night. I watched it over and over again and I still couldn't believe it."

Rex looked about ready to cry but he held himself together. "When did you see this footage?"

"A while ago. After I discovered the truth."

" _What_ truth?"

Ahsoka took a deep breath. "After Minister Tua was killed, the crew of _The Ghost_ was framed for her murder and they were forced to go on the run which meant they had to leave Lothal for good. However, Kanan and Ezra encountered a Sith Lord and fought him and barely survived the encounter."

"Wait a second. A Sith? I thought they were wiped out."

"You think like a Jedi, Rex. We were fools to think that the Sith would just disappear. No. This Sith was the real deal."

"So they were nothing like Dooku or Ventress were?"

Ahsoka shook her head. "Ventress wasn't officially a Sith. She never bore a Sith name. She was only trained in their ways. However, Dooku did bear a Sith name. However, it became complicated when it was revealed that Maul was still alive. Anyway, as the crew and I were escaping Lothal we were pursued by a lone TIE fighter that wanted more then anything to take us out. Both Kanan and I could feel that this individual was strong in the Force and apparently, so could Ezra. As Kanan and I tapped into the Force, Ezra said he recognised the Force signature. He said something I will never forget for as long as I live."

"What did he say?" Rex was anxious to know more.

Ahsoka sucked in a sharp breath. "He said, _'The fear… the anger… the hate…'._ When I realised whom this individual was, I cried out in agony before passing out into Kanan's arms. I never thought I would feel that presence again. I never thought he would become a monster."

Rex was in shock. "He _became_ the monster that is now hunting you?"

Ahsoka's mournful expression returned to her face as she nodded.

Rex looked about ready to vomit. "The general we both looked up to, the same general that we both came to see as a brother is now a Sith? When was the last time you saw him as he was?"

"The last time I saw him in person was before he went and rescued Palpatine after he was 'kidnapped' by Grievous and Dooku. I had a feeling something was wrong but I dismissed it."

Ahsoka hung her head in shame. She looked up when she felt Rex take her hand.

"It wasn't your fault, sir." Rex said.

Ahsoka sniffed as she shook her head. "You don't understand Rex. You didn't see the vision I had when I was in the Jedi Temple on Lothal with Ezra and Kanan. He _appeared_ to me."

"He appeared to you? How is that possible?"

"The Force works in mysterious ways, Rex. I had a feeling he might appear to me seeing as I was watching an old training holo with Ezra. I told Ezra a little bit about him but not everything."

Rex seemed to understand what she was talking about. "Senator Amidala."

Ahsoka's expression turned sad as she nodded. She and Padmé had been close. She had been nice enough on _his_ recommendation to represent Ahsoka in court on that dark occasion. Ahsoka hadn't hated the Jedi or her friends for trying to help her through that dark time in her life. She realised that she had had figure out who she was on her own. This, however, hadn't stopped her from 'running into' Anakin before his mission to rescue Palpatine.

"He was bitter," Ahsoka whispered as the tears continued to flow down her face. "He said I was selfish for abandoning him. He then asked if I knew what he had become. I then lashed out as if that is what he, meaning Vader, would have wanted."

Rex rose from his seat and walked around the table. He pulled Ahsoka to her feet and pulled her into a tight hug. He rubbed her back gently as she cried for the friend they had both lost. Cried for the brother that had believed in them and would have done anything for.

"Do you think the senator knew?" Rex whispered.

Ahsoka lifted her head, sniffing as she did so. "I'm not sure. She knew that I knew about them but…" she licked her lips, unable to finish her sentence.

"You only hinted it to Anakin." Rex guessed as he and Ahsoka sat back down.

"When I met up with him those couple of times, my emotions were all over the place. I was tempted to return to the Jedi Order and _he_ even said that they wouldn't judge me but I stood my ground. I refused to re-join an Order that thought I was capable of mass murder. I do not blame the Jedi Order as a whole but I do pity them for what happened to them."

"Even if the Order is all but extinct because of what _he_ did?" Rex questioned.

"Yes. There are many beings out there that could help resurrect the Order but I fear I will not be around long enough to witness it."

"Don't say that," Rex shook his head. "You might."

"Vader wants me either captured or dead. The man we both knew is gone. He is _never_ coming back." Ahsoka didn't stop the fresh batch from flowing down her face.

"He loved you, you know." Rex said as he wrapped an arm around Ahsoka's shoulders.

Ahsoka looked at him, wanting to hear more.

"After you left, he was so upset. He pushed my brothers and I to fight even harder then we ever had in our short, disposable lives. If we were out of line even once, he'd snap at us. Many of the men didn't quite understand why but I did. There was a mission not long after you left that Senator Amidala was involved with and the general would not let her out of his sight. At first, I thought this was a little strange for him but then I saw the way he looked at her whenever he begged her not to do anything stupid. Then I remembered one of our _many_ late nightconversations about the subject and it clicked. I didn't dare speak up about it. I knew he would only tell me to mind my own business."

Then something registered.

"What happened to you when Order 66 occurred?"

Rex wasn't surprised by Ahsoka's question. "I was in hiding with Gregor and Wolfe. I assume you heard about what happened to Fives?"

Ahsoka nodded. "Yes. I heard something about he discovered that there were protocol biochips in your brains. Is that right?"

"Yep," Rex nodded. " _He_ found out about it and was just as surprised about it as I was. Fives tried to talk about it but was silenced before he could."

"So you had your chip removed. What happened next?" Ahsoka asked.

"Well, I got called out on a mission and once the mission was complete, I was told I had been dismissed."

"What? Why?" Ahsoka asked in disbelief.

Rex shrugged. "No clue. I didn't argue but _he_ did. He tried to stop my dismissal but it was in vain and he wasn't happy about it. He had to accept Commander Appo as the new leader of the 501st."

"Appo? He was the one that lead the troops after you?"

"Yeah. I didn't really know him. He might have been another one of my brothers but he wasn't around Anakin like I was. I think something was off."

"How do you mean?"

"I'm not sure. After Fives was silenced the whole issue was swept away like it was a minor computer glitch. I think there was something going on Kamino."

Ahsoka said nothing. She knew it had been odd when Order 66 had been executed. She knew that all Palpatine had wanted was to rule the galaxy with an Empire that no one would be able to bring down. It killed her that Palpatine brought down the Jedi Order and the Republic using the one person he knew was the most corruptible.

"Do you think," Ahsoka said slowly. "That the Kaminoans knew they were creating beings that would help bring down the Republic? No offence."

Rex brushed away her comment. "Honestly? I have thinking the same thing you were."

For a long while the pair just sat there, thinking about the past. Rex got up to get himself a cup of caf and had bought Ahsoka another cup after she had finished her first.

"What do you think he would say if he saw us together now?" Ahsoka asked, breaking the silence at last.

"I think he would be proud. If I knew the general as well as I did, I think he would have been even more prouder of you."

Ahsoka bowed her head. "He wouldn't be proud of me. He would be ashamed of me. The vision I had in that that Jedi Temple was right. He was right to call me a coward and selfish."

"You did what you thought was right for _you_. He could never hold you accountable for that." Rex said in an attempt to soothe his old friend's broken heart. "It was just one reality that never happened."

"A lot of things never happened, Rex."

This caught Rex's attention.

"What does that mean?"

"I discovered something not long after I left the Jedi Order."

"What?"

"Padmé was pregnant."

"His child?"

Ahsoka nodded. "Child _ren_ actually. She gave birth to twins."

"Twins?" Rex questioned.

"It was a surprise to me too. No one knew about them."

"So what happened to them?"

"People that knew Padmé was pregnant have believed for years that the child, note not children died with her."

"That was sad," Rex noted. "She was a fine woman who would do anything for anyone."

"Yes," Ahsoka said sadly. "She pulled me out of a few scrapes. She was like a sister to me."

"I remember," Rex chuckled. "She was incredibly fond of you and him. I know why now."

"Thinking back on it now, he was incredibly protective of her because he wasn't about to lose her."

"Do you think he knew about the children she was carrying?"

"I think he knew she was carrying one but not the second child. Knowing him like I did, I think he would have been a great father."

"What happened to the twins? You said people thought they were dead."

"A lot of people still do, Rex. Though the youngest of the twins, the daughter, has been hiding in plain sight the entire time."

"How do you mean?"

Ahsoka issued a smile.

"The daughter is Princess Leia Organa of Alderaan."

"Really?" Rex said in surprise. "Bail Organa's daughter is _his?"_

Ahsoka nodded. "She is an amazing young woman. She is so much like Padmé."

"Did she follow the senator into politics?" Rex asked curiously.

"Indeed she did. Well, you could say that she followed Bail into politics."

"What of the first child?"

"All Bail told me was that the boy was named Luke and was given the last name of Skywalker and that the boy was hidden on the last planet his father would look."

Rex looked at Ahsoka knowing _exactly_ where she was referring. It had been no secret that _he_ hated Tatooine. "Oh. I certainly understand why he hated the place. It was a place that even bravest wouldn't venture. I feel sorry for the kid. Who's raising him?"

"The Lars family. His stepfamily."

Rex didn't ask any more questions. He had known his general well but not as well as he would have liked. He knew Ahsoka was devastated.

"I could have stopped him but I was too cowardly." Ahsoka whimpered. Rex allowed Ahsoka to rest her head on his shoulder.

"You are not to blame for what he became, Ahsoka." Rex reassured her as he gave her shoulder a reassuring squeeze. "He bought it on himself. I have never really understood whole 'Jedi' connection to the Force' thing but I know your bond with _him_ was strong. He would have been incredibly proud of what you have become."

"But the vision…"

"Forget the vision," Rex said gently cutting across her. "That was not who he truly was. The man you remember is who he once was. That's all that matters."

As much as Ahsoka wanted to argue her case, she found herself unable to find the right words to contradict him. He was correct in a lot of ways. Anakin would have been proud of her. Not bitter like she believed. Not bitter like the vision she had witnessed.

Tears flowed down her face. "I miss him, Rex. I wish everyday that he were still here with me. That I could have stopped him from turning into the monster Ezra and Kanan faced on Lothal."

Rex wasn't sure whether comforting Ahsoka this time would make them both feel better or just bring more tears. He too idolised Anakin because of the way he lead the troops that he called brothers. "I wish the same thing Ahsoka. I wish I hadn't been dismissed from the 501st. I wish I could have seen the darkness within in after you left. I don't consider you a coward. I think you were brave to do what you did."

Ahsoka whimpered. She hadn't felt brave but it been the right thing for _her._ It had been right for her to leave _him_ the way she had. She had hated herself for a long time after that but she felt responsible for his turn to evil.

"I loved him, Rex." Ahsoka sobbed.

"I know you did, Ahsoka. I did too. We _both_ should have seen the signs."

"Does Leia know the truth about who her biological parents are?" Rex asked gently.

Ahsoka shrugged. "It's not my place, Rex. I'm not her guardian."

"If Organa has told her, how do you think she'd take it?"

"I don't know. I've watched Leia grow up into a young version of Padmé. I think she would cope pretty well with who her mother is but her father? I don't know. It's up to Bail and Breha to tell her that her father is Darth Vader."

"Anakin." Rex corrected.

Ahsoka shook her head. "Vader and Anakin are two totally different men. Anakin is _dead._ Vader is just a cruel reminder of what happens to good Jedi." While her words had escaped her mouth much harsher then she had intended, she knew Rex understood what she meant.

Rex said nothing as he allowed his old friend to mourn. He had mourned a long time ago but it never hurt to mourn more then necessary.

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 _There you have it. This is a ONE SHOT and will NOT be updated._


End file.
